Nitroglucoside explosive



- Patent l /lay ll, i926.

ROBERT C. MORAN, 0E WOODBURY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO 13. I. DU FONT DE NEMOUBS & COM?ANY, OE WILMINGTON, DELAVfAl-RE, E. CORPORIQI'ION 0F DFLA WARE.

NITBOGLUCOSIDE EXPLOSIVE.

1% Drawing.

This invention relates to explosives, and particularly to high exposives such as dynamite, and comprises explosives of this type which contain, as the main explosive constituent or explosive base, a nitrated glucoside either alone or in, conjunction with a nitrated polyhydric alcohol.

The term glncogside is used herein in a generic sense to relcr to the ethers formed by the condensation of hydroxy-hydrocarbons, and particularly mono-, and poly-, hydric alcohols, with sugars (aldo-sugars) such as dextrose, nmnnose, galactose, and other hexoses, rhamnose (a methyl-pentose), and various other sugars. These glucosides are characterized by yielding upon hydrolysis a sugar and an alcohol. In the following description the chemical constitution of specific glucosides will be indicated by ref erence to both the sugar and the alcoholic components from which the )articular gllb coside may be assumed to have been derived. Thus, I designate the glucoside obtainable by the interaction of dextrose and methyl alcohol as the dextrosc-glucoside of methyl alcohol.

Nitrated sugars have heretofore been used in the production of explosives for commercial purposes. The use of nitrated sugars possesses on the one hand the following advantages :first, it makes possible cheaper explosive bases due to the replacement in part of the nitrated polyhydric alcohols by the cheaper nitrated sugar; and, second, it permits the preparation of lOW-fl'fitllllg es:- plosive bases thru the admixture of nitrated sugars with the nitrated polyhydric alcohols. On the other hand, the very great objection to the use of nitrated sugars in commercial explosives has been their instability.

For the production of explosives of lC-W- freezing property, nitrated polymerized glycerine has been found advantageous. Such explosives are stable, but have the objection of relatively high cost, since nitrated polymerized glycerine is more expensive than nitroglycerine.

I have now discovered that nitrated glucosides may be used as explosives with essentiall all the above-cited advantages as sociate with the use of both nitratecl sugars and nitrated polymerized glycerine and at the same time Without the above-cited disad- Application filed January 23, 1.523. Serial No. 614,455.

vantages of either one. In other Words. the use, as explosives, ot' nitrated glucosides, as for example the nitratcd dextroscglucoside oti methyl alcohol, involves the following advantages :-iirst, a cheaper explosive base with nitroglycerine is possiblethrough substitution, in part, of the nitroglycerine or of nitrated polymerized glycerine by the cheaper nitrated glucoside; secoutha stable explosive base with nitroglycerine is obtained; and, third, an explosive base with nitroglycerine can be obtained having a degree of lo\\"-l'reezing property comparable to that imparted by. nitrated polymerized glycerine, and at a decided saving.

The glucosides, such as dextrose, mannose, etc, glucosides of nionohydric and polyhyduic alcohols, such as methyl, ethyl and propyl, alcohols, and ethylene glycol, may be prepared by methods described in the literature (Ber. 26, 2411; 2?}2483; 28, 1145).

Nitrated glucosides oi? monohydric and polyhydric alcohols may be prepared from the correspondin g lucosides by the general method dcscribet' in the literature 31, (58). F or use according to my invention such nitratetl glueosides, as for example the nitrated destrose-glucoside of methyl alcohol, ma Y be mixed. with a nitrated polvhydric alco 01, as for example nitroglycerinc, in proportions ranging from 80% to 20% nitratcd dcxtrose-glucoside of methyl alcohol to from 20% to 80% of nitroglycerine. While I have mentioned the above range of proportions of the nitrates suitable, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any specific proportions.

instead of mixing, as such, the nitrated glucosides of monohydric or polyhyclric alcohols and nitratecl polyhydric alct' zols, E prefer to nitrate the corresponding m xtures of the glucosides of cooiuohvdric or polyhydric alcohols with polyhyclric alcohols, its for example mixture of tlOXllO-SQ glltlCOSlClfi of methyl alcohol and lvcerine. ation may be ptn'ffornied as follows:

Thirty par glucositic, such as the dextrose-glucosicle of methyl alcohol, are dissolved in '15 parts of a polyhydrie alcohol such as glycerine, and one part of this mixture is mtrated with 5 parts of a mixed acid of the approximate composition: sulfuric acid. 5%?3 nitric acid M70. The tem- Bil perature and time of nitration are approximately the same as for glycerine alone. When the nitration is'complete, the solution or mixture of ti'initi'oglycerine and nitrated methyl glucosidc is separated from the spent acid and stirred until neutral with a 6% solution of sodium carbonate, in water, at a temperature of about -100" F. Instead of sodium carbonaleanothcr alkali such as sodium hydroxide, as well as sodium bicarbonate, may be used. The alkali solution is then drawn off and the nitrated mixture is washed with pure water at a temperature of 70400 F. The mixture of trinitroglycerine and nitrated glucoside is then pure, and ready for use.

In regard to the above proportions, ternperatures, etc., all these may be varied just as they can in the manufacture of nitroglycerine. The mixed acid can be of various strengths, either anhydrous or containing up to several per cent t or 5%) of water. Difi'erent proportions of glycerine, glucoside and mixed acid, different neutralizing agents of varying strength, and different temperatures of treatment are possible.

The same mixture proportions, nitration conditions, etc. hold for the other representative mixtures: (at) a glucoside ofa monohydric alcohol such as methyl glucoside-and a glycol such as ethylene glycol, (12) a glucoside of a glycol such as ethylene glycol glucoside and a glycol such as ethylene gly-' col, and, (c) a glucoside of a polyhydric alcohol such as glyceryl glucoside and a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerine.

According to my invention, desirable forms of dynamite may be made from explosive bases containing nitrated glucosides, as, for example, the mtrated dextrose-glue coside of methyl alcohol, by mixing such base with the usual ingredients which make up nitroglycerine dynamites, such for example as sodium or potassium or ammonium nitrate, wood meal, etc. Moreover, it is possible by adding nitrocotton, to prepare gelatin 'dynamites of excellent character from explosive bases comprising nitrated glucosides of monohydric alcohols or polyhydric alcohols.

The ditl'erent forms of dynamites which can be made from explosive bases comprising nitrated glucosides may be illustrated by the following examples.

Gelatin Ammonia D ynad ynayuamlte' mite. mite.

Per cent. Per cent. Per cent Explosive base 40 33 Nitrocotton 50.

. 1 1 Absorbent 14 14. 2G 10 The explosive base in the above examples may, for instance, consist wholly of the nitrated dextrose or mannose-glucoside of methyl alcohol, the nitrated galactosc-glucoside of ethyl alcohol, the nitrated dextrose-glucoside of ethylene glycol, the

nitrated dextrose-glucoside of butylen'e glycol, or the nitrated inaunose-glueoside 0t glycerine. Or the explosive base in the above dynamite formulas may be eo1uposed ot a mixture of equal parts of one of the above mentioned nitrated glucosides and of one of the following nitrated polyhydric alcohols: ethylene, propylene, and butylene, di nitrates, trinitrogylcerine, and nitratcd polymerized glyccrine. Instead of equal parts of the two constituents, the explosive base may consist, for example, of 30 parts nitrated glucoside to 70 parts nitrated polyhydric alcohol.

The nitrated glucosides which I prefer to use are derived from glucosides obtainable by condensing aldo-hexoses with (1) monohydrie alcohols having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or (2) polyhydric alcohols having from 2 to 9 carbon atoms, thus including polymerized, as well as unpolymerized, glycerlne, and the glycols such as ethylene, butylene, and hexylen glycols.

For the production of gelatin dynamitw the nitrated glucoside-gly erine mixtures, are especially valuable, mixtures gelatinizing more readily wit n iti ocotton than either mtrated sugar-glycrine mixtures or nitrated polymerized glyceri 1e. As examples of such nitrated glucosille-glycerine mixtures there may be mentiened the mixtures of trinitro-glycerine with the nitrated dex trose-glucoside of methyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, or glycerine. I

By the expressions nitrated glucosidw and nitrated polyhydric alcohols I mean, in general, glucosides and polyhydric alcohols which are completely nitrated, that is, in which each hydroxyl roup has been converted into a nitrate -O- NO group. Partially nitrated glucosides and alcohols, however, also come within thescope of my invention.

While I have described my new explosive compositions in detail, it will be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A dynamite comprising a nitrated glucoside.

2. An explosive mixture comprising a nitrated glucoside of an alcohol.

3. An explosive mixture comprising a nitrated glucoside of an alcohol and a nitrated polylgdric alcohol.

4. an explosive mixture comprisin trated glucoside of a monohydrle alcoli a ni- 5. An explosive mixture comprising a nitrated glucoside of a monohydric alcohol having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

6. A dynamite containing a nitrated dextI'OSG-glUCUSlLlG of u monohydric alcohol.

7. A dynamite containing the nitrutetl dextrose-glucoside of methyl alcohol.

8. An explosive composition containing a nitrated glucositle of u monohydric alcohol and a nitrated polyhydric alcohol.

9. An. explosive composition contninin r a nitrated (lextroseglucosille of a inonohydric alcohol and :i nitlruted polyliydi'ic al- 'cohol.

10. An explosive com osition containin the nitrated dextrose-g ucoside of methpfi alcohol and a nitrated. polyhydric alcohol;

11. A11 explosive composition containing the nitrated dextrose-glqcoside' of methyl alcohol and nitratetl glycprine.

12. An explosive composition comprising a nitrated glucoside and an alkylene (lh nitrate.

13. An explosive composition comprising:

a nitrnted glncoside of a monohydric 16, A (lynmnitc containing as the maple sive base a mixture of n nltlatori glucosnle and a mtruted 'polyhyth-im alcohol, from about 20 to 80% of said mixture losing nitinted glucoside, and the remaintler'heing the nitrated polyhydiic alcohol.

In testimony whereof I silk my signature.

ROBERTO. ll/IORMl 

